Dexter Taylor: 1931-2015

There's sad news today from Riverdale as we are learning that renowned Archie writer/artist Dexter Taylor passed away yesterday at the age of 84 of undisclosed causes. Taylor originally began working for Archie Comics in the 1950s, where he was quickly paired with Little Archie creator Bob Bolling. Together, the pair helped shape the comic -- featuring younger versions of Archie and the gang -- from a throwaway cash-in to a truly remarkable book that often enscapsulated the fear and anguish of childhood. Plus, it often was prone to whimsical flights of fancy that wouldn't fit into the other Archie books of the time.

After taking over the title in 1965, Taylor continued to showcase the adventures of Little Archie and company through to that book's demise in 1983, occasionally working on other titles like the underrated Archie T.V.'s Laugh-Out, and his work continues to be seen in digests and digital exclusives to this day.

Here's footage of Taylor and Bolling at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con:

On their Facebook page, Archie Comics made the following statement:

"The first day I came to work at Archie Comics I met the nicest, most helpful, friendliest and honest person: Dexter Taylor," said Victor Gorelick, Archie's longtime Editor in Chief and Co-President.

Archie Comics sends its deepest condolences to the Taylor family, his friends and his many fans around the world.